June 2012 final
- 1. Educational Seminars Program Alumni Newsletter Educational Seminars Program Overview Volume 3, Issue 1, June 2012 Educational Seminars are short-term exchange opportunities for U.S. and international school educators that are funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. Department of State. These programs provide professional development opportunities for U.S. and international school educators to work together on issues of mutual interest to their communities, schools and students. Educational Semi- nars engage U.S. and international partner administrators, teachers and students in opportunities to learn more about each other’s coun- tries, educational systems, teaching methodologies, culture and socie- ty, and to initiate collaborative projects with international partner Uruguayan Participants in front of the White House schools and communities. From India to Greece to Argentina, our teachers and principals from across the United States will be canvassing the globe to experience international edu- cation and how it impacts their communities and schools world-wide. This past winter, American Councils wel- comed 14 Uruguayan participants to Washington, DC before their exchange program across the country. In addi- tion, Educational Seminars will soon be welcoming 60 new participants for the next year’s exchange programs with Argentina, Brazil, and Thailand. Check inside this issue of the Alumni Newsletter to learn more about our exciting and artistic Alumni Grant projects and see Educational Seminars at a Glance! Do you have friends or colleagues that are interested in Educational Seminars? The applications for the 2013 Uru- guay Educator Program is available online at https://ais.americancouncils.org/! Please remember, the next Alumni Small Grants deadline is June 29. Contact edseminars@americancouncils.org with any questions! Spreading Culture & Perspective: India Participants from the India 2011 Educational Seminar Spotlight on Hosting were eager to share their experiences with colleagues and students. Lena Tashijian and Cindy Sabik reflected Did you know that the U.S. State Department also sponsors in- bound scholarship for students to study at US high schools for one on their summer in Kolkata to create memorable academic year? What if you had had the impact of your U.S. events in their educational communities. Ms. Tashijian State Department exchange experience at the age of 16? from Baltimore City College High School, Maryland shared her travel experiences by relating the cultural American Councils is looking for schools willing to enroll these scholarship students, as well as potential host families willing to context of India to the literature of her curriculum. The open their homes. after-school “India Culture Day” attracted 50 students to attend and engage in book discussions while indulg- Approximately 1 in 50 applicants are selected to be part of this ing in authentic Indian food. The success of the Culture program and criteria include: English-language proficiency, aca- demic success and skills for adaptation. Students are also pre- Day directly benefitted the St. James School Library in pared for school in life in the US through workshops – all of which Kolkata, as Ms. Tashijian continues to raise funds to include American teachers and program alumni at different points ship textbooks, novels, and other books to the in the sessions. school. Ms. Sabik at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, As a result of their time here in the US, program alumni have gone Ohio, arranged and raised funds for Urmi Basu, the on to introduce volunteering in their own countries, build tennis director of the New Light Shelter in Kolkata, to visit courts in Afghanistan, work with orphanages throughout Russia to and speak to the school’s entire student body. The improve conditions, organize camps that help improve English New Light Shelter is for trafficked women and their education, collect donations and aid for distribution after the riots children, and has been featured in the novel Half the in Kyrgyzstan, and much more. Sky. In addition to speaking, Ms. Basu had lunch with We are always seeking to publicize this opportunity, so please the student members of the Diversity Forum, and dis- feel free to distribute this information to any groups at your cussed Indian culture and issues with poverty in socie- school (international clubs, PTAs, your classes) who may be in- ty. Ms. Sabik notes how Ms. Basu’s presence affected terested. her students: “Many of them were not aware of the For more information on having one of these incredible students human trafficking that goes on in the world today. We at your school/community, please write inbound placement at have students who are now interested in social entre- inbound@americancouncils.org, or visit the American Councils’ preneurship and activism.” The students’ reactions Inbound Placement website at inbound.americancouncils.org. were so positive that the following May the senior class made its parting gift a donation to the shelter. Through their teachers’ experiences, students have been able to gain the benefits of international education in addition to a global perspective.
- 2. Educational Seminars Program Alumni Grants & the Arts On October 10, 2011, 300,000 Uruguayans partici- In December 2010, Hillary Younglove (Italy, 2009), following pated in a cultural festival in Montevideo, the capi- her participation in the Classics Seminar in Rome, received an tal, to celebrate an incredibly important milestone in alumni grant focused on creating and developing a course the country’s history: The Bicentennial of the Eman- titled “History & Lost Techniques of the Ancient World.’ The cipation. Uruguay Educator Exchange participant course itself would give the opportunity for high level art stu- Claudia Martinez (2009) seized the patriotic fervor dents to begin to pursue their passion at an early age and fill of her nation through alumni grant funds this year what Ms. Younglove called a “gap in their art education.” The and brought the cultural celebrations to her small final objective of her project was credit approval from the town. The focus of her project was to organize a University of California. Once approved, the class began its large festival at the school for her community, which inaugural year as a college course in fall 2011. Twelve stu- developed curricula and created a real artistic expe- dents enrolled in the first class, who at minimum were tasked rience for students and teachers alike. Ms. Mar- to create two mosaics, two encaustic paintings, and two fres- tinez’s town El Pinar is in a low socio-economic area, coes. These 15 to 18 year olds were able to develop a stronger and suffers social problems related to poverty. She appreciation for the art and history of Ancient Rome and explained the project held a Greece as Ms. Younglove did in her Classics Seminar in high importance for her Greece. In addition, the young students have been able to community: “It is very im- acquire a set of skills and techniques rarely taught, even at the portant that children have college level. Younglove has noted that the success of her pro- this opportunity to work ject exceeded her expectations. She mentioned that “I would with special art teachers in never have been able to offer a class such as this without the order to be in touch with alumni funds.” Her class has been able to do exemplary re- other cultural expressions and human values, not search on ancient techniques that have been left out of the directly related to their own community.” In a com- general art curriculum, including traveling to the St. Seraphim munity that has little opportunity for theater or art church in Santa Rosa where monks gave a lecture on their classes, children in School Nº162 attended shows fresco painting. The class presented their artwork in a gallery given by actors and professional musicians and sub- that opened on May 23 and will continue to run until August sequently participated in two months’ worth of 15th. Younglove already has students signed up for next year workshops in “patria gaucha” or folk music and cul- so that art history will continue to be passed down from An- ture. Martinez also organized the participation of a cient Rome to today. jazz musician from the U.S. to share and teach Afri- can American songs that were sung at the Final Cele- La Murga, in South America and specifically in bration of the school. Martinez recounted that the Argentina, plays an important part of the car- nival season as a chorus dressed in elaborate project touched her life and her students’ more than she expected, specficially evident in the story of her costumes performs historic and cultural songs student Maria. As she already knew she would not and plays. According to Argentina Adminis- attend high school, Maria rarely attended class and trator Exchange participant Dario Benitez (2011), Murga is theater and art, “the voice of was not involved in the school community. Martinez explains when the festival started, Maria’s attitude those who do not want silence-memory and had changed, and “More surprising indeed was commitment infected with joy and hope.” Students in la Murga when María got on stage and went from one dance Benitez, principal of IPEM Nº 8 Manuel Reyes to another moving gracefully as if she had not done Reyna, is currently using alumni grant funds to self-produce a anything else in her life. She will now be studying school-wide Murga, to be shared with his U.S. exchange partner dance, instead of becoming a hairdresser which she Alicia Caraballo through social media. Caraballo and Benitez both work with students who “live in situations of vulnerability, emo- confessed did not appeal to tional and material deprivation, which can lead to the expression her.” Martinez of pain through aggression.” The School Murga project, he says, hopes to con- “uses history, geography, music and theater as a form of reflec- tion and artistic expression to share culture and the Argentinean tinue with this project next ‘reality’ with the U.S. students.” With their teachers, the stu- year as she dents are working together to produce every aspect, from sewing sees its bene- the costumes to creating music, dance, scripts, letters and sto- fits each day. ries. It will represent how their culture developed and show how they live, to their own community and to their partners across Maria dancing on stage with Claudia Martinez the hemisphere. Are you interested in seeing more pictures of our artistic Alumni Grants projects? Visit Ed Seminars facebook album www.facebook.com/ EdSeminars to see a complete set of Alumni Grant photos from California, Uruguay, Argentina, and more!
- 3. Educational Seminars Program Educational Seminars at a Glance Since 2009… Marigloria Quintas, Urugay 2012 455 participants 270 administrators Nat Osotprasit, Thailand 2012 185 teachers 160 international administrators 229 U.S. participants 95 sets of partners Leticia Collazo, Uruguay 2012 72 participants from Brazil 61 from Argentina 54 from Uruguay Nawee Wettawong, Thailand 2012 16 from Thailand 5 from Mexico 1 Great International Program! Want to see your story or blog post here? Email links, stories, and ideas to edseminars@americancouncils.org!